Towers
by Box Of Sky
Summary: A clueless girl named Alize falls into Middle-earth. 10th walker. (I know, stereotypical, BUT I promise it will be good.) You will learn why it's called Towers. Please read and review, this is my first time here. OC but no Mary-Sues. Chapter 8 is now up!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- Falling

I dove into the lake, ripples moving outwards in concentric circles. I saw something clear at the bottom, like a window untouched by the lake-bottom dirt. Gasping for air, I popped up, my long hair covering my face in a curtain. I adjusted my bikini top, which had fallen down slightly during the dive. It was my favorite swimsuit, a beautiful dark blue color. Mom had brought it home for me from her business trip to France. She had also brought me an Eiffel Tower necklace. I never took it off, because Mom was gone a lot, and it reminded me of her. Goosebumps ran down my bare arms. Suddenly, it was a lot colder. My lungs sucked in a fresh breath of air as I snaked down to the warmer water below. The strange window was still there. I moved my face down to look through it. I could almost see something... It looked kind of foggy, like smoke was obscuring the image. I peered closer, my lungs nearly bursting with need for oxygen. Wait. Was that a person? I twisted my head for a better angle, when... The tip of my nose touched the window. It opened, pulling me through in a sudden whirlpool current.

to be continued...

A/N: Hi guys! This is (hopefully) the first chapter of my first-ever FANFIC! Yay! So please review, because I would love some feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Arrival

It felt like I had been falling for hours. I was probably about to plummet right through the other side of Earth and die in space. The water had not fallen down the weird window with me, so by now I was frozen to the core. It was nighttime, wherever I was, and there were a lot more stars than I was used to. I could barely restrain myself from reaching out and touching them. My teeth were chattering and I was almost sure my lips were blue. I am afraid of heights, so I never looked down. I realized my mistake about two seconds later. My body crashed loudly through layers of leaves, twigs, and bird poop. "Why am I in a forest?!" I screamed, holding my hands over my eyes to ensure I still had both. The merciless battering stopped, and I looked down. I saw a camp of sorts, coming closer every second. Eight lumps and one empty sleeping bag were clustered around the dying embers of a small fire. I squeezed my eyes tight shut as the ground came closer... And closer…

Legolas Greenleaf strode around the bodies of his sleeping companions. Suddenly, his keen elven ears picked up the sound of a cry from above. His eyes shot up the tree trunks to a spot where it looked like something was falling steadily through the branches. Legolas drew his bow, then stopped. Those screams did not sound like Orcs. He looked up again to see the figure of a girl with brownish-red hair, wearing hardly anything and squeezing her eyes shut. Legolas stared at her briefly before catching her.

I had stopped falling. Gingerly, I opened my eyes. A pair of icy blue orbs stared back. I blinked slowly, savoring the rest of this person's face. He had beautiful high cheekbones and a clean, smooth face. He had long blond hair, braided up by his ears. Something about him made me realize I was still only wearing my bikini. I normally would have blushed, but now my face was too frozen to do anything but move my lips a bit. My eyes quickly snapped back to his ears, which were pointed. That was the last thing I thought about before I blacked out. Legolas quickly laid the unconscious girl on his empty bedroll, then woke the rest of the fellowship. Aragorn rose almost immediately and began talking rapidly with Legolas in Elvish. "Is it my watch already?" Gimli grumbled, grabbing his axe. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her lips: bluer than Frodo's eyes. All four hobbits had to be thoroughly shaken by Boromir, who was still yawning. They all clustered around her in a circle.

"She fell out of the sky about two minutes ago," said Legolas quietly.

"She's freezing." Sam gently draped his blanket over her frail form, breaking most of their gazes.

Aragorn felt her pulse. "Faint, but she will make it if there is no snow tonight." Gimli rekindled the fire and Boromir moved her closer to it. "I'll take watch now, Legolas. You can rest," said Aragorn in a tired tone. Legolas lay down on his bedroll, eyes still open. _This new girl will certainly complicate things,_ he thought. _But she may also be a gift._

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Welcome

I groggily opened my eyes, expecting to see the familiar white ceiling and lavender walls of my bedroom. Instead, I saw an open sky and trees all around. I sat up with a jolt, making two very short people run over to me. "She's awake!" one yelled. Everything came flooding back to me when I saw the blond guy.

"W- where am I?" I asked nervously.

"You're on the road to Lórien, lassie," answered a short guy with a massive red beard.

"What's that? Who are you guys?" I was starting to feel a bit panicky.

"Lórien is a beautiful wood. Some of my people- the elves- live there," the blond guy explained. Elves? That explains the pointy ears, I thought. But there are no elves on Earth…

"Am I still on Earth?" I questioned shakily. I had a bad feeling about the answer.

"No, miss. You're in Middle-earth," interjected a kind-faced tiny person.

_I have no idea where that is._

_I may never see my mom again._

_Or Olivia, my little sister._

_Or Tom, who's only ten and thinks I'm cooler than all his friends' siblings, because I've been driving for seven months now._

_I may never get back home._

Those thoughts swirled around in my mind like the stupid whirlpool that had brought me here. Tears welled up behind my eyes and dripped onto the blanket covering me. "Don't cry," said a Scottish-accented voice behind me. I had to smile. It was another little person. This one had a pointed sort of face and mischievous green eyes. "What's your name?" he asked softly.

"Alize," I whispered, still recovering from the shock of being stranded in 'Middle-earth.'

"Mine's Peregrin Took, but most people call me Pippin," he responded. A few minutes later, I had learned all their names and races. Apparently the tiny people were called hobbits.

The man called Boromir spoke up. "Aren't you all forgetting something? We are on a journey. We must hurry if we want to get to Lórien, let alone Mordor! Alize, you must choose to leave us now or stay."

"Stay," I said quickly. I don't know anything about Middle-earth. Judging from these guys' weapons, I would probably get killed in a second if I left.

"Can you defend yourself?" asked Aragorn. "We will encounter Orcs and possibly worse things. You will need a weapon if you are to stay."

"And we walk miles upon miles each day," Boromir added. "Are you sure you want to stay? You are a mere girl. I am unsure if you can handle staying with us."

"I can't defend myself yet, but I'm a fast learner and a fast runner. I did cross-country back home," I replied smartly. "And don't be so sexist, girls are just as strong as boys."

"What's cross-country?" the hobbit called Merry asked me. At this point, I was completely unsurprised. I knew nothing about Middle-earth, and they were equally clueless about Earth.

I sighed. "It's running as a team and on your own. It's really fun."

Merry sighed back. "Sounds like something we would do in the Shire. That's where hobbits live," he added.

Aragorn smiled grimly. "Here, running is usually for survival." I gulped.

"Welcome to Middle-earth," said Legolas, a smile dancing in his eyes. Sam helped me up and all my blankets fell off. I was still wearing my bikini.

"Uh, does anybody have any extra clothes?" I asked. They all shook their heads. I tied two blankets together around my body as a makeshift dress while the others cleaned up camp. They each put their possessions and sleeping bags in a pack and slung it around their shoulders. Sam's looked especially heavy, as he had all the cooking pots. I offered to take some, but he refused. We started walking after a few more minutes, and I was glad I hadn't taken on any extra weight. I was going to have to walk all the way to 'Lórien' barefoot. _This was such a wonderful welcome,_ I thought sarcastically as I stepped on yet another rock. I put my brain on autopilot and focused on just walking, putting one foot in front of the other.

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- Training

**Thanks to horseyyay and a guest for reviewing! Also thanks to NilaStar13 for favoriting and following :)**

The next day, we decided that the morning would be spent teaching me to fight. Aragorn and Boromir would help me. I walked over to Aragorn, who promptly handed me his sword. I dropped it. It was way heavier and much more cumbersome than it looked. Next Boromir passed me his shield, which was really hard to handle and ended up on my foot. I shrieked in pain, clutching my toes. Boromir gave Aragorn an _I-told-you-we-shouldn't-have-let-her-stay_ look. Aragorn shot back a deadly glare. Boromir sighed and handed over his sword. It was longer and lighter than Aragorn's, and I was able to make a couple swings with it. They both smiled at me, remembering their own days learning 'swordsmanship,' as they called it. "You will get a good sword in Lorien," Boromir said. "It will have to be very light, though," he added with a smirk. I poked him with his own sword, which he quickly grabbed from me and sheathed.

"All elvish swords are light. Weight will not be a problem," Aragorn replied to Boromir.

Suddenly, Legolas appeared. He looked past me to Aragorn. "She should probably try her hand at archery as well. Having more than one area of skill always helps." I was excited. Ever since I had watched The Hunger Games, I had loved archery. And having Legolas there was definitely a plus. Aragorn and Boromir left. Legolas pulled an arrow out of the quiver on his back and skillfully aligned it. The bowstring snapped back and the arrow soared majestically into the exact center of a nearby tree. This all happened in about two seconds. Legolas then handed me his bow and took off the quiver. I put it on and drew an arrow out. I fit it to the bow. Legolas nodded in approval. I beamed and attempted to pull back the string while still holding the arrow. It didn't work out. At first, I couldn't pull it back at all, then I lost control and the arrow flew out of sight. Legolas smiled. "You need a strong arm to be an archer. We will work on that." Around seventy failed attempts, fifteen lost arrows, and only ten arrows in the tree later, Legolas stopped me.

"Do you need your arrows back?" I asked apologetically.

"It would be helpful if I did, yes," he answered. We started searching around the tree area.

I called out the arrows as I found them. "One, two... Three, four, five-"

"Yrch!" Legolas hissed.

"Bless you," I replied. He shook his head and placed a long finger on his perfect elf lips, drawing his bow. "Is that elvish for 'shut up'?" I whispered. Legolas mouthed the word 'Orcs'. My eyes widened as I flashed back to Aragorn saying _'We will encounter Orcs and possibly worse things. You will need a weapon...'_ Just then, the ugliest thing I had ever seen jumped out of the bushes. It was about the same size and shape as a regular man, but its features were extremely inhuman. Its ears were pointed like Legolas's, but the resemblance stopped there. Its skin was the exact color of the nasty mold Olivia grew for her science class once. A filthy mat of black dreadlocks covered its head. Its eyes were huge and glowing green, with creepy slit pupils. Its nose looked like a tiny, shriveled pig snout. All in all, it was disgusting. It pulled out a huge, jagged knife and smiled at us with blackish fangs. My brain clicked into slow-mo mode, preparing to shut down forever. Then I heard a _thwack!_ and a horrible high-pitched scream. Legolas had shot it. I felt numb. The awful image of the Orc was burned into my mind. Legolas silently put his hand on my back and led me back to camp.

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- A Different Kind of Falling

**It just occurred to me that I should probably do a disclaimer. I don't own anything except for Alize. I also don't own these song lyrics here, which are from "Falling For You" by Colbie Caillat. They are here to accompany the chapter. Enjoy!**

I've been spending all my time just thinking about you

I don't know what to do

I think I'm falling for you

I've been waiting all my life and now I've found you

I don't know what to do

I think I'm falling for you

That night, I couldn't sleep, even though I was exhausted. From the ordeal in the morning, to the 7-mile trek, to the tiny (but well-cooked) dinner, today had sucked. I couldn't stop thinking about the Orc, and the very real danger that I could die. I also felt guilty, because I had completely taken over Legolas's sleeping bag. Merry and Pippin then had to share one. Part of me didn't care, because it still smelled like Legolas, and he smelled amazing. It reminded me of trees and wildflowers and the lake back home. My spine felt really weird after the countless shivers that had run down it today. I could still feel Legolas's touch on my skin. Images of him kept popping into my brain: him shooting the Orc, him welcoming me, his eyes, his smile... I waved them away, but they kept coming back. _He's way too perfect to love a girl like me: not an elf, not a good archer, not beautiful like him,_ I sighed mentally, then stopped myself. _Love? I've only been here two days._ I was at war with my own mind. I had never fallen for a guy this fast before. _None of the boys on Earth are this perfect, though,_ I thought. I flipped onto my stomach and took a deep breath of Legolas. It was really calming. I closed my eyes and relaxed for the first time today, then finally dropped off to a fitful sleep, dreams of him sneaking through my mind.

**Sorry it's short, this is just a little snapshot of Alize's thoughts. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Feet

**Hey guys! I deleted the Message chapter because it interrupts the flow of the story if you read it all the way through. Thanks to Spottedmask12 and Varietyduck for reviewing!**

Pippin poked Merry, who rolled over without opening his eyes. "What do you want now, Pippin?" Pippin had been waking Merry up all night and asking him questions. Merry really regretted his decision to let Pippin share his bedroll., Neither of them were getting any sleep.

"So, what do you think of Alize?" Pippin asked deviously.

Merry rubbed his eyes and responded sleepily, "Well, she's beautiful-" Pippin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Merry, making him blush. "-But I don't think of her in that way- I mean, she's too tall and-"

"SHUT UP!"Boromir roared from his watching position near the fire.

"You were rambling a bit," Pippin offered helpfully. Merry lowered himself fully into the bedroll to block out Pippin, but he wriggled down too. "You're in _love_," Pippin teased.

"I am not!" Merry protested, causing Boromir to stride over and tie the top of their bedroll shut with some rope from his pack.

Pippin paid absolutely no attention to this and continued the conversation. "Well, you look at her like you are."

"Everyone does!" Merry exclaimed. "It's kind of hard not to when she's wearing that _thing_." He turned scarlet.

"What thing?" Pippin asked innocently. "You mean the blanket dress?"

"No, the thing she was wearing when she first came here."

"Oh... That." Pippin felt his cheeks grow hot. He was glad that it was dark.

Merry pushed at the fabric surrounding them. "I can barely breathe." "At least it's warm in here," Pippin said, snuggling closer to Merry. Merry smiled and gave Pippin an awkward hug back. He loved his cousin. Pippin asked Merry, "Do you want to know a secret?"

"Sure," Merry replied, half asleep again.

"Then help me get us out."

Merry woke abruptly. "How?"

"Stick your arms through the hole in the top and untie the knot," Pippin said simply. Merry was an expert at knots. After all, he had lived near the Brandywine all his life, and he was no stranger to boats.

"The hole is too small," Merry said. "And I want to sleep. Goodnight, Pippin." Pippin immediately started widening the hole with his hands. When it was big enough, he grabbed Merry's arms and shoved them out.

"Please?" Pippin begged. "I really need to show you something." Merry grumbled but soon had the knot untied. As soon as both hobbits had emerged from the bedroll, Pippin scampered over to Alize, who was sleeping on top of the bedroll, using her dress blankets as a cover.

"What am I supposed to be seeing?" Merry asked blankly.

Pippin whispered, "Look at her feet." Merry pulled the bottom blanket up a little and immediately recoiled. Her feet had bruises, puncture marks from sharp rocks, open cuts (with small rocks embedded in a few), scabs, dried blood, and her skin was starting to look a bit green.

Merry turned a shocked face towards Pippin. "How did you know about this?"

Pippin shrugged. "I notice lots of things. I saw this at dinner tonight. I was next to her and she kind of crossed her leg so I could see the bottom of her foot. Then she moved her leg again. I think she's been hiding it."

Merry moved Alize's blanket back. "Should we tell someone?" he asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Pippin said, looking thoughtfully into the distance.

"Aragorn!" Merry said loudly after a long pause. "Because he will probably know what to do. And he has those healing herbs."

"Good idea," Pippin yawned. Merry ushered Pippin back to bed, where he slept soundly, but after seeing her feet, Merry lay awake all night.

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	7. Chapter 7

7- Towers

**Sorry for the wait! I have been really busy lately... Thanks to Heatblizzard for reviewing (3 times!) There is more Gimli action in this chapter :)**

I woke up first that morning. The sun had already risen, but not by much, leaving behind a tiny trail of fluffy clouds in its wake. I was surprised to find that Middle-earth had one normal sun. No one here knew Earth existed, so Middle-earth was either a different planet or some kind of complicated parallel universe like in Doctor Who. Either way, I figured it probably had multiple suns. (Tom was obsessed with Star Wars a few years ago. He knew everything about it, including the number and color of suns on every single planet. He told me that some planets had more than one sun. I didn't believe him, and he made me watch all the movies until he found a scene on the desert planet that proved me wrong.) Even though there were no birds chirping, it felt like a cheerful morning. It was one of those days where in the morning, you say to yourself, _"Today, something special is going to happen,"_ and you're right by the end of the night. I slowly got up, careful not to hurt my feet too much, and poked the lukewarm coals with a stick. I was awful at starting fires, because I didn't want to get burned. I decided to wait for everyone else to wake up. I stretched my calves sleepily. My legs had gotten a lot stronger from all the hardcore walking on this trip. I let my eyes wander over to the beautiful face of Legolas. Then I realized that his eyes were open. I slowly walked over and waved my hand in front of his face. The elf did not respond. He was either completely spaced out- or dead. I hesitantly poked him. Still nothing. His eyes were glazed over, looking somewhere no one else could see. A random impulse laid my hand on his forehead. It was cold. No hairs were out of place, yet I stroked them back anyway. _"Only loved him one day, and the next..." _I thought, reaching down worriedly for Legolas's fingers, which were also cold. My eyes suddenly boiled over. A warm tear landed on his face. He blinked and sat up, confused as to why I was holding his hand and crying. I hastily withdrew, looking back into the circle around the dead fire, where Aragorn stood with amusement playing across his face. "That is how elves rest," he said. "They do not need to sleep, so they do not close their eyes."

My mouth dropped open in shock. "I- I thought he was dead."

Legolas shook his head. "I was merely thinking."

"Wow," I said quietly, shutting my mouth with difficulty. I blinked rapidly and awkwardly got up. By now, the only one still sleeping was Gimli. I blushed. Everyone who had watched my little scene gave me questioning looks. Luckily, Gimli saved me by snoring so loudly that he woke himself up, causing Merry and Pippin to break into peals of laughter.

Shortly, we all strapped on our packs and set off. I was walking really fast so I could catch up to Legolas, who was a bit ahead. After about fifteen minutes of huffing and puffing, I was finally with him. "Sorry about this morning," I said, casting my eyes down to the rocky ground strewn with some version of pine needles.

"It is all right," Legolas said, not even looking at me. We walked in silence for a while, until we were far ahead of the others, then he asked quietly, "How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen where I come from, why?" I asked, trying to appear calm.

"An elf knows what the heart desires," Legolas said, a smile flitting across his face. That morning passed by in a blur of happiness, and pain from my feet, which were getting worse and worse. I had blisters now, and one had accidentally been popped by a pine needle that I stepped on.

When we stopped for a midday break, I asked Aragorn (because he seemed the most knowledgeable, besides Legolas, of course) what _'An elf knows what the heart desires'_ really meant.

It was the first time I saw him smile, answering my question. "It means that he knows how you feel, and what you want."

"So he's psychic?"

"I do not know what that means, but elves can see farther than we, in many ways," Aragorn replied mysteriously, looking away.

Legolas watched this discussion from behind a nearby pine tree. He cursed quietly in Sindarin. "How do I tell her?" he said aloud.

"Tell her what?" A gruff voice startled Legolas.

"Gimli? Shush! They will hear you!" Legolas whispered. He would have pulled Gimli down under cover of the rock, but Gimli was short enough to stand behind the rock and not be seen. Legolas quickly explained his predicament in a whisper.

At the end, he had to clap his hand over Gimli's mouth to stifle his laughter. "Dwarves don't usually have these problems. We are far more truthful and blunt than the elves. Just tell her and she will probably appreciate your honesty."

"Gimli, I'm surprised. I didn't know dwarves knew so much about love." Legolas said, just to even the playing field a little. Gimli clenched his fists warningly. Legolas completely ignored him and sat with his back against the rock. "I know what I need to do, but she is a good friend. How do I tell her- I don't feel the same way?"

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	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8- Towers

**Thanks to everybody who reviewed/favorite/followed! (Ellie Elf, Voldymoldy666, KrystylSky, akatsukiwerewolf9, rayden24, Chiei1987, and lots of guests!) Sorry I've been gone so long! Lots of schoolwork and business. Anyway, in this chapter, bold font means it's Legolas's POV.**

Legolas rose before dawn the next morning, still thinking about the problem of Alize. He quickly freed himself from his bedroll and paced around. The moon was still out, close to setting, just a thin white sickle almost touching the horizon. I opened my eyes that morning to find a completely gray sky. The sun looked like a grapefruit that had been cut in half, a brilliantly pink circle partially obscured by thick clouds. Immediately, Legolas sprang into my mind. I sat up to see him looking very worried. I couldn't bear to look at his face, the perfect lips pressed together, shadows casting an unearthly spell over his high elvish cheekbones. "_I wish those lips were on mine_," I sighed mentally. I had given up on stopping my thoughts about Legolas. I didn't love him just because he was insanely hot and beautiful. I had gotten to know him better walking with him all these days. I learned that he was quiet, but very wise. He was a great listener, and he had really good arms from all that archery. I love when strong guys hug you, and you feel a little crushed, but it feels so nice to be held right there, breathing in the smell of him (which in Legolas's case, is amazing). That was how I felt when I first met him. I told myself that today, I would be brave and ask him how he felt. I stood up, ignoring the protests from my feet. With that thought in my mind, I helped clean up camp, heart beating faster.

We set off, Legolas and Aragorn leading the pack, Boromir alone but close behind, the hobbits all chatting quietly in the back. The one called Frodo was more withdrawn, though. His back was bent as if carrying a heavy load, although his pack looked the lightest. Gimli was trying desperately to catch up with Legolas, whose long, graceful strides quickly left everyone behind. I smiled cheerfully at Gimli as I flew by him, sprinting as fast as I could. Gimli stared at my legs, which were almost as tall as his whole body. He cursed in dwarvish and promptly gave up running in favor of joking with the hobbits. We ran all day, hoping that it was our last day on the road, as Legolas and Aragorn had told us. I was really excited to get to Lórien. Hopefully I could meet some girl elves. Going about a week in the company of boys- I mean men, one really starts to miss even the nastiest girls at school. Plus, my bikini/blanket-dress situation was feeling pretty gross. It had rained today, and now I smelled like a wet animal. Nobody had showered for a while, and the only person who still looked or smelled clean was Legolas. I waited later and later to ask. I was really nervous. "_I hope he likes me_," ran through my head all day. Finally, as night was about to draw its dark curtain over the sky, I gathered my courage. We had just set up camp, and Legolas was standing with his back against a tree, far away from the fire Gimli was making. I slowly walked towards him. "Do you like me?" I blurted out childishly, my entire face reddening at my mistake.

Legolas closed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Do you... um... love me?"

**_How could I tell her no when she stands there with her brown eyes wide and curious and hopeful, just like an elfling's? She is my friend, and she is beautiful, and she is strong inside, but I am an elf, and she is a sixteen-year-old human. I try not to love anymore. I can still feel it, but it does not last, and the pain echoes forever. I have tried and tried at my father's insistence to find someone, to no avail._**

Legolas placed his cool hand on my bare shoulder, making me shiver in delight. He steered me to a nearby log, where we both sat. He looked into my eyes for a long time, then he broke away, sighing. "What's wrong?" I asked.

**I took Gimli's advice. "I do not love you. However, you are a great friend, and advanced beyond your years. I would like to keep this friendship, if you wish to as well." Her face transformed into a machine, clicking, her brain whirring, thinking. Her eyes look at me for a split second, a valve is opened, and water starts to drip out. "Don't cry-" But the words are lost. She has already dashed away.**

I run far, far away from camp, to anywhere they won't see me. When I have thoroughly lost myself, I sit down in the dirt and try to calm myself.

"Merry!" Pippin hissed quietly. "Do you hear that?" Merry shook his head, hanging upside down from a very high tree branch by his legs. "Sit up! Listen!" Pippin urged. Merry reluctantly swung into a sitting position on the next branch down. Faint sobs reached his ears, the painful-sounding kind. Pippin looked dismayed just hearing them. They glanced at each other, then scrambled quickly down the tree, to the source of the sound. Hairy hobbit feet padded silently on the crunchy carpet of leaves.

Suddenly, Merry's eyes went wide. Pippin could not hold in his surprise. "Alize?" he said incredulously.

I screamed loudly and stood up, startled. Pippin put a finger to his lips as Merry covered his ears. "We're sorry, we didn't mean to scare you," Merry said quietly.

"What are you two doing here?" I asked, trying to wipe my tears away discreetly.

Pippin immediately noticed. "Why are you crying?"

"My question first," I demanded shakily.

Merry shot Pippin a look I couldn't decipher through the blur of my leftover tears, then answered innocently "Climbing trees." They sat down on either side of me. I needed no asking. By the time I was done explaining my story, I was in floods of fresh tears. Each of my hands had two small ones clutching it. I could tell Merry didn't know what to say. His face showed it clearly. After a long pause filled only by my awkward sniveling, Pippin reassured me "I have three older sisters, so this happened kind of a lot back home. And I say, you took it better than they do."

"You really liked him, didn't you," said Merry softly. I nodded miserably and pulled both of them closer to me, like the stuffed animals I hadn't used for years, now in the back of my closet. Hobbits are really good at snuggling, and within minutes, I felt a lot better.

"What's that?" Pippin asked, nudging the chain on my chest with his finger.

"You've never seen a necklace before?"

"No, no, we have. What's on the end?" Merry said eagerly.

"It's the Eiffel Tower." They both looked puzzled, and I had to remind myself that I wasn't on Earth anymore. "It's from my world. In a place called Paris."

"Is Paris like Isengard?" Pippin asked, staring at the tiny tower cupped in my hand. It was now my turn to be puzzled. They told me all about Isengard, spinning tales of a great wasteland filled with monsters like the Orc I had seen, with a huge black tower in the middle, called Orthanc.

I burst out laughing. "No, Paris isn't like that! I went there once. It's a big city, no monsters, just people and animals. It's kind of cold and rainy there, but no one minds since the food is so good, and there are all kinds of shops you can spend some time in if it really starts to pour. They speak a different language there -it's called French- and the tower! Oh, it's beautiful at night. There are sometimes lights on it, and you can see it anywhere you are." I ended my monologue and looked at their faces. Awe was written all over them.

Eventually, Merry said "We had better get back to camp now."

Pippin nodded and added "They're probably worried about us." I held back a laugh. I would hate to be Pippin's mom. He was very mischievous and probably the subject of his parents' worries a lot. I smiled and let them help me up and lead me back to camp, still holding my hands.

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